


remember me?

by allmadeofstardust



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Barry and Kravitz have to defend their love to the twins - again, Multi, Relationship Approval, Shovel Talk, The twins defending the other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22212208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmadeofstardust/pseuds/allmadeofstardust
Summary: The Twins meet two strangers who claim to be the other's long lost love.  They are not pleased.Aka a fic where the twins give the shovel talk again and Barry and Kravitz bond with them. Again.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans & Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Kravitz & Lup (The Adventure Zone), Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 123
Collections: The Candlenights Zone (2019 Exchange)





	remember me?

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Candlenights to @Khoshekh42! They requested either Taakitz or Blupjeans, so why not both? Tried to put a bit of a spin on the concept. Enjoy :)

Taako was falling. He didn't know how or why, and as he desperately tried to cast Levitate the spell fizzled in his hand because _why the fuck else_ would he roll a fucking 1? He hit the bottom quicker than he anticipated, bouncing off the (stone?) walls with a thud that took...yeah, 20 points of damage was a fantastic start to this little adventure. He ended up in a heap on the floor, panting hard as he tried to sit up and remember what -

_Remember_.

There was static in his mind and he clutched his head, screaming.

"No, _no, no, LUP!"_

Things were fading, the details of how he'd gotten here just dust in a breeze, and he clung to his sister's face in his mind, he wouldn't let it go, not again, _not again_.

But she remained there, smiling, and as the static blessedly faded she was still there. He knew her voice, he knew who she was. She was safe.

"Taako?!"

He blinked at his name, still a bit shaken by the fucking memory jumble, and turned towards the voice. A man barreled towards him, kneeling, grasping his shoulders.

"Tell me you remember Lup! I can't lose her again, Taako, tell me _right now_ , please -"

"Relax, geroffme!" Taako cried, forcing the man’s clutching fingers away. Who the _hell_ –

The man backed away easy enough, obviously getting the message (thanks, dude, he was already worked up enough as is, he didn’t need someone _manhandling_ him). He was a human well into his fifties, and he was wearing bluejeans.

Odd.

“Yeah, I remember my sister. Whaddya want with her is my question? Who are you and why do you care so - ”

He'd said something wrong, he could see it in the man's face, but he wasn't entirely sure _what_. He rubbed his temple - why did he have a headache?

He looked down at himself and groaned.

"Ugh, stupid fall knocked me down to 32 p's, dude, whoever you are, you don't happen to have a potion or something, do ya?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Taako," he said cautiously, and Taako didn't know why. "I’m _Barry_. What do you remember?"

_Remember_.

He winced as the headache got worse.

"I don't know, _Barry_ , that I fell down a hole, that you're jumping on me like I'm drowning, you're asking me questions about my sister like you're terrified she's-"

There's that face again, like Taako had hit him in the gut.

"Hey, my man, what's wrong?" he asked, because weird questions or not, this guy seemed nice enough.

"It's... it's nothing, okay? I just...know Lup from somewhere and I’m worried about her because you were."

"I am not _worried_ ," Taako replied, trying to push himself up. Barry helped him as best he could, and this kind of touch was okay, just something to get him over to the wall where he could breathe. "If anything I'm glad I know she's out there somewhere so she can save us from this....place."

He looked around, finally taking in his surroundings. They both were in a creepy looking cave, a long chute leading straight upwards winding into nothingness above. There was only one exit leading ominously into a darkened hallway. Barry had managed to summon a tiny fire in his palm, which cast blue light over the walls.

"This isn't foreboding at all now is it?" Taako joked. He laughed slightly and the movement disrupted something broken inside his chest and he stopped, in pain.

“Listen, I don’t know you from Adam - ”

_That face._ What was he saying that was so horrible?

“ – but if we’re both gonna be stuck here, maybe you have a plan?”

Barry smiled slightly and held out the fire towards the hallway.

"Best way to find out is to explore, right?”

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

He limped his way forward and tried to ignore the saddened look on Barry's face. Taako had fucked up about something, he knew, but right now they were focused on getting out of here.

Questions about his sister, and Barry's _concern_ would have to come later.

****

Lup rolled a nat 20 on her Levitate spell. She fluttered ever so gently to the bottom, settling her feet down, and she had a moment of peace before the static hit.

She'd never felt this before, not like this, and she screamed as the world, her stories, her memories cracked on the edges, falling apart, disintegrating down into a sea of emptiness.

_Not Taako, please not him, give me him, DON'T TAKE HIM._

It stopped almost as suddenly as it began, and she sucked in a breath. Her brother, her heart, where was he, where -

He was there, clear as day in her mind. Smirking, long hair swaying behind him as he stirred some soup on the stove.

She breathed out slowly. Okay. He was there. She thought briefly. They’d gotten separated, then. Somehow. She needed to get back to him.

She stood shakily and turned. She was in a cave of some kind, and there was someone else in the room.

He was sitting with his back to the wall, breathing hard. He had a handsome face with dark skin and immaculately styled dreads, and was dressed to the nines. He looked up at her and offered a shy smile.

"Glad to see you're okay, Lup."

He seemed friendly enough, no weapon in sight, but she kept her guard up.

"How do you know my name?"

The smile vanished instantly.

"Oh, Queen," he cursed as he pushed himself up, leaning on the wall heavily. "Lup, _please_ tell me you remember Taako. Your brother. _Please_."

"Of course I remember my fucking brother, what kind of question is that?"

The man nodded and looked her up and down.

"Listen," he said, attempting to approach her. She took a step back, wary, and he stopped. "I don't know where we are or how we got here, but I need you to trust me. I need to find Taako."

"What do you want with him?" she asked, hackles raised.

"I want to make sure he's _safe._ This place is magical beyond my capabilities -"

Capabilities? Come to think of it he did exude some form of strong energy.

" - and it might mean he's in danger."

"Why do you care? He owe you a debt or something?"

Lup could have sworn a blush crept onto the man's cheeks, and now she was really confused.

"Quite the contrary. Lup, I need to find him because I love him. And I don't want anything to happen to him."

Lup stared at him.

" _Love_?" she repeated.

The man dipped his head in a low nod that was almost a bow.

"Please, Lup. You might not know me now, but know that I would do anything for your brother."

Okay, this sounded serious. This guy was _serious_. So far she hadn't felt any warning bells. He was polite and somewhat charming, but…

"What's your name?"

He looked hurt, but recovered quickly.

"Kravitz."

"Okay, Kravitz. _I_ am gonna find my brother, and _maybe_ you can tag along if you’re competent enough. But don't think for a _second_ that I'm gonna let you anywhere near him before we have a nice long discussion about _lots_ of things."

He looked frightened. Good.

She waved her hand towards the exit, and he preceded her down the hall.

***

This Barry character has a really shitty poker face.

They kept walking in near silence as Taako tried his best to suck down the pain because gods knew he wasn’t about to let this stranger help him like he was _crippled_. Taako could hold his own thanks. But this _Barry_ looked like he was about to burst into tears. He kept casting sideways glances at Taako like he was about to spontaneously combust, and the flame in his hand flickered occasionally in a way that Taako _knew_ was associated with erratic emotions.

Taako almost couldn’t stand it, but he was more focused on Lup. Lup, who he’d almost forgotten because of _something_ magical beyond _anything_ he’d dealt with, Lup, who was probably stuck somewhere in these extensive caves too.

At least, he hoped she was. Because that way he could find her.

Assuming he could find his way out.

The first fork they hit looked obvious enough – a hall leading into a spiky dark creepy room, or one leading to a nicely lit one. But then they got to another junction, with _doors_ , all of which were locked. There was a pedestal in the center of the room, forming a basin, which led down to intricate carvings on the floor leading to the doors.

Barry made a face.

“I _really_ don’t like the look of that thing.”

Taako tried the locks again, tried magicking them open, but they were shut tight. They looked like wood, but he knew it was probably made of something a _bit_ harder.

“Alright, Barry, I give up.”

Taako spun around, and settled his weight on the pedestal. He wasn’t going to give away how weak he already felt. Barry didn’t need to know that.

“Well, I think we _might_ have to - ” Barry began to explain. Taako got there first.

“How do you know my sister?”

Barry stammered for a good ten seconds, and Taako rolled his eyes. _Gods_ this guy was bad at lying.

“I, uh, I met her through, a, um...a work thing. With both of you, if you’d believe it.”

Taako could quite possibly. Lup was usually the one who handled the business end of the whole caravan deal.

_Ow_. The headache was back. Like something about that line of thought was _wrong_. But it wasn’t. Lup and him had their ways, they worked for who they could, and maybe Barry had showed up at one of their meetups.

“Doesn’t explain why you were all worked up about me forgetting her. So you met her at a work thing – what makes her so important to you?”

_Gods_ Taako was almost getting tired of this expression, like he’d singlehandedly crushed Barry’s soul.

“Okay, see, that right there!” Taako said before Barry even spoke. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think that Lup’s more than just a fellow coworker to you.”

Barry cast his gaze downwards.

“Oh gods. Oh _no_. No, no, no, you are _not_ her...summer fling or what not?!”

Barry turned to the pedestal.

“I think it’s a blood collector,” he observed, trying desperately to change the subject.

“ _Nope_ , no, no.”

Taako grabbed Barry’s arm and turned him to meet his own face.

“Do you or do you not know my sister in the biblical sense? Because your answer is gonna change a _lot_ of things, homie.”

Barry extricated himself from Taako’s grip.

“It’s not salacious. I...know her. I love her.”

Taako stared at him.

“But - ”

“Look, I think I know the way out of here, okay?”

Barry turned away, examining the stone, leaving Taako speechless.

“It’s a blood collector. You sacrifice some blood, it activates the doors. Basic necromantic magic.”

He pulled a small knife from his belt, and Taako took him in. This man, wearing bluejeans and sporting a dad bod, who knew about necromancy and, so far, had yet to really exude any shitty vibes, was somehow Lup’s...boyfriend? Lover?

“Lup never mentioned you.”

Barry cut open his palm without even wincing.

“What the _hell_ are you doing with my sister?”

Blood fell in thick rivulets into the basin. It trickled into the carvings, and suddenly all the doors were clicking open. Barry turned back to Taako, already wrapping up his hand with a loose bandage.

“Look, we can either talk here, while Lup is probably getting into trouble, possibly in danger out there, or we can keep moving. Your choice.”

Taako narrowed his eyes.

“Fine. But don't think for a _second_ that I'm gonna let you anywhere near her before we have a nice long discussion about _lots_ of things.”

Barry smiled.

“Fair enough.”

*****

“When did you two meet?”

“It’s...complicated.”

“ _How_? Taako, tells me _everything_.”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“Well, _uncomplicate_ it.”

“I don’t know how to - ”

They found themselves in a large room, with a very large chasm between them and the other side. The bottom of it was covered in extremely sharp-looking spikes. There was a stone pillar on either side of the chasm, but no bridge of any sort.

“Fucking _puzzles_ ,” Lup mumbled, looking around to see if there was another way forward. She turned towards Kravitz. “Any ideas?”

“My usual method would simply be a rift.”

Lup took a mental note of that for later. She had a feeling Kravitz was stronger than he let on.

“But for some reason my powers are being suppressed here. It’s like something is cutting me off from my Queen.”

He looked over at Lup.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Well, can you reach Her? Maybe you can rift over and - ”

“Hang on, _me_? Since when did I associate with the Raven Queen?”

A flicker of concern flashed across Kravitz’s face.

“You don’t remember your allegiance to Her? You and Barry both - ”

“Okay, who the hell is _Barry_?”

His face fell fully, giving way to something akin to _fear_.

“Oh, Queen, you don’t remember _anything_.”

Lup was growing tired of this guy speaking to her as if she was stupid.

“Maybe I’d _know_ something if we found my _brother_ and got out of here!”

She stormed over to the pillar near the edge and examined it. There were carvings along the edge, written in a language that looked like someone had taken Elvish and shoved it in a meat grinder. The best she could make out were the words “speak” “bridge” and “safety”.

Kravitz had moved closer as well, squinting at the markings. Lup relayed the meanings to him.

“Any idea?” he asked.

Lup smirked.

“Y’know, for someone claiming to be Taako’s boyfriend you really aren’t that smart, are you.”

She turned to the chasm and shouted “ _Bridge!”_ in Elvish. Sure enough, a rickety wooden bridge shimmered into existence in front of them.

“Huh. Smart,” Kravitz observed.

Lup rolled her eyes and gestured for him to go first.

******

“So you met at a work thing. That I can believe.”

“Yes.”

“And how long has my sister been lying to me about your existence?”

“She never...I’m not really...”

Barry trailed off as they entered a new room. It looked empty, save for two narrow grooves carved across the floor in thin lines. Barry took a cautious step forward.

“Look, I really don’t care _how_ you two met, I’m more concerned that my sister is banging the right guy.”

Barry tripped slightly and fell back, blushing.

“I’m – I’m not - ”

“Tell me about yourself, Barry. You’ve already impressed me with the necromancy.”

Barry laughed softly.

“I, um...I play piano?” he offered.

Taako’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing.

“Okay,” he managed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Boy, Lup sure knows how to pick ‘em.”

He gestured to the rest of the room, still chuckling.

“Alright, Barry...do you have a full name?”

“Um...my friends sometimes call me Barold.”

Taako’s mouth twitched.

“And my last name is just...Bluejeans.”

Taako started giggling again, and Barry rolled his eyes and examined the rest of the room.

“Well, I’ve concluded that my sister has a lovely sense of humor.”

“We need to get to the other side.”

“Yeah, no shit, _Barold_.” Taako snickered at the name, and tried to ignore the tinge of sadness that was creeping onto Barry’s face. “Why can’t we just - ”

He moved to stride forward, but Barry grabbed him from behind.

“ _Wait!_ ”

The moment Taako’s toes hit the groove, a large axe swung down from above, narrowly missing the elf’s nose. His laughter stopped short as his breath caught in his throat. Barry was still gripping him tightly.

“...thanks,” Taako admitted, trying to release himself from Barry’s grip.

“No problem. I think...”

He knelt down next to the groove. Come to think of it, they looked very similar to the ones in the creepy blood sacrifice room.

Barry pulled out the knife.

“Hey, hey, wait a minute!”

Taako crouched down, gently taking the knife from Barry.

“You already, um...”

He didn’t quite know what he was trying to do. Barry obviously knew what he was doing. It didn’t even look painful. But for some reason Taako wanted this guy to be okay.

“It’s okay, Taako. You’re low on health anyway.”

Before Taako could protest, Barry took back the knife, unwrapped the bandage, and cut his hand again.

This time, Barry winced, and Taako’s heart constricted.

When Barry carefully tested the trap with his finger, nothing happened, so they kept moving.

Maybe this Barry fellow was alright.

*****

The next room Lup and Kravitz walked into looked like a primordial kitchen. If all you made in said kitchen were a bunch of potions. There were apothecary ingredients scattered everywhere, and there was a singular bottle sitting on the counter, waiting to be filled.

“Um...” Lup started as Kravitz wandered forward. She noticed the large doorway leading onwards – it was barred shut. Kravitz examined the kitchen while Lup tried the door. Locked, naturally.

“Any ideas?” she asked him. He was sniffing at some of the herbs. His face lit up.

“Actually...” He smelled a different ingredient, some sort of clove. He turned to face Lup.

“I don’t think this place is just another dungeon, but something more...personalized.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, it separated you two, made you forget - ”

“I didn’t _forget_ , you’re just a - ”

“Semantics. My point is that I think this place is testing us, and I think I know how to get past here.”

He picked up the clove and offered it to Lup.

“Smell it.”

She did so, carefully. A familiar savory flavor filled her nose.

“Garlic. But what sort of potion uses garlic?”

Kravitz smiled.

“I don’t think it’s a potion. I think it’s a recipe.”

Lup straightened up.

“Taako,” they both said at the same time.

They rushed over to the counter, pouring over the ingredients.

“I think it’s one of his recipes. Or at least, things that are meant to represent one. Here, do you see anything that could be a chicken? An egg, a bone, a - ”

“Feather?” Lup offered, handing him the object. As he picked up another thing, a sprig of rosemary, she considered him.

“How do you know his recipes?” she asked. He slowed.

“He cooks a lot, when I’m around. He’s taught me some of his tricks.”

He laughed as he found a handful of saffron.

“He would always poke fun at me, when I couldn’t quite get things right, but he’d never stop helping me. The kitchen may have been his, but he let me into it fully.”

Lup grew sad.

“That’s what Ko does for me,” she admitted. “I didn’t...I thought he’d never open up to anyone like that. Ever.”

Kravitz placed all the ingredients in the small cauldron. He smiled softly.

“It did take him a while. But trust me when I say, Lup, that I think he readily enjoyed it when he did.”

He poured the potion into the glass, but nothing seemed to happen.

“I think we need to drink it,” Kravitz observed.

Lup moved to take it but Kravitz snatched it out of her reach.

“It may be dangerous. Let me.”

“If it’s _dangerous_ then I should be the one to drink it. He’s _my_ brother.”

“It won’t hurt me. I’m not even corporeal half the time. Besides.”

He downed the thing in two gulps before Lup could protest. She stared at him as he dabbed at his lips with his sleeve.

“I have a feeling he’ll kill me if anything happens to you.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” she stated flatly.

“I think I did.”

The door’s bars slid open. Lup took Kravitz in. The potion didn’t seem to have had any effect, but that was besides the point. He had known about Taako’s recipes. He had _cooked_ alongside _Taako_.

And he just took the proverbial fantasy bullet for her, not knowing what would happen.

Maybe Kravitz wasn’t such a bad pick for Taako after all.

*****

They walked in silence for a bit before coming to a large open room. There was a flat wall towering over two small pedestals that looked almost like academic podiums, and Taako groaned.

“Oh, gods, I think I know what this is.”

Barry smirked at him.

“What’s wrong with a little trivia?”

“ _Everything_. Everything is wrong.”

They approached, and the wall in front of them illuminated.

TAAKO. _Please select a category: HISTORY, SOCIAL STUDIES, MATH, ARTS._

“Huh. Maybe it’ll be easy.” Taako settled into his spot and leaned his head on his hand. “I’ll choose history, why not.”

A question appeared on the board, and Taako’s heart leaped five feet.

_What is Lup’s birthday?_

“What the fuck is this?” Taako whispered to Barry, who shrugged frantically.

“I don’t know. I think maybe this whole place is...attuned. To us.”

“I don’t like that one bit, but hey, at least these questions are easy. _March 8 th!”_ he shouted at the screen.

_CORRECT_. _BARRY._

Oh gods, Barry wouldn’t know shit about –

“I’ll take arts.”

_What instrument does Lup play?_

Shit, shit, he wouldn’t know that, she never even plays it outside of –

“A violin.”

_CORRECT._

Taako stared at him.

“How the _hell_ do you know that.”

Barry blushed.

“She and I...did a duet together. We play together a lot, actually.”

Taako shook his head.

“She never...”

_TAAKO._

“Shit. There’s two left, I’ll pick social studies, I guess.”

_What subject in school does Lup like the most?_

Taako held back a snicker.

“Social studies,” he said, giggling at the word play.

_CORRECT. BARRY._

“Listen, Barry, I - ”

Barry silenced him with a hand wave.

“Math.”

_How many times have you mistaken Taako for Lup?_

Taako balked at the question. He didn’t even _know_ Barry, he hadn’t even met him before now.

Barry was smirking.

“Zero,” he smiled. “Because I always know the difference between my love and my brother.”

Taako blinked as _CORRECT_ lit up the wall.

“You...how did you...?”

A door hadn’t revealed itself. The wall was still lit.

_TAAKO. How did you first meet Barry?_

Taako saw realization creep onto Barry’s face, saw him mouth something desperately.

“I don’t...I’ve never met him before today, I can’t - ”

“Taako, _no_ , that’s not - ”

_INCORRECT_ flashed on the wall, before something loud and bright launched itself out from somewhere hidden, heading straight for Taako.

Taako rolled a goddamn 1.

_Gods_ he needed better dice.

It hit him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backwards until he hit the stone wall behind him, _hard_. The breath left him, and he crumpled, stars dancing before his eyes.

“ _Taako!_ ”

He heard the puzzle protest, heard Barry fling a curse at it. Heard an explosion. It all sounded very far away.

He hadn’t realized he had closed his eyes until Barry was shaking him, willing him to wake up.

“Come on, Taako, _please_.”

It hurt to move. There was a dull pain emanating from his chest, and he could feel the residual effects of Magic Missile creeping away from the charred remains of his shirt.

“I just had that pressed,” he whispered, and he thought he heard Barry let out a ghost of a laugh.

“Taako, come on, buddy.”

Taako opened his eyes and blinked up at him. For a stranger who had a random affinity to his sister, he certainly looked strikingly familiar. There were a few tears in his eyes as he tried to get Taako to sit up.

“Hey,” Taako attempted weakly. “How’d you know all that stuff about Lup?”

Barry was rummaging through his bag, and slowed at the question.

“Taako, I love your sister.”

He kept looking and, upon not finding anything, let out a fearful cry. He turned back to Taako.

“I love her more than anyone in the world, okay?” He gripped Taako’s shoulders. The world was starting to go a little fuzzy. Funny that.

“I love her, but I know that if anything were to happen to you, I’d never forgive myself, because it would hurt her. It would hurt her so awfully and - ”

He had pulled out the knife again, and Taako managed to put his hand on it and bring it down.

“Hey. I believe you.”

Barry smiled.

“You do?”

“Yeah, my man. But something tells me that - ”

He gasped as he tried to speak. Damn, that spell must have been at _least_ eighth level.

“ – that she’ll be hurt if _you_ get hurt too.”

Barry tried to laugh.

“Yeah, Taako, you got that right. But I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

He wrenched the knife from Taako and pressed it to his forearm.

“Lup knows I’m an idiot.”

He cut a deep gash and immediately placed his other hand on it, chanting in a tongue Taako sure as hell didn’t know. What _was it_ with this man and the blood sacrifices? He hoped it wasn’t a hobby.

Then again, whatever Barry was doing was making him feel loads better. So maybe he could stick around.

“That’s one of the reasons she fell for me,” Barry gasped as he stopped the ritual. Taako took a deep breath of new air. “I never really know when I’m supposed to stop.”

Taako felt great, but Barry looked drained and tired. Taako knelt and helped Barry up.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah. Don’t mention it.”

His arm was bleeding pretty badly, and Taako sucked up his squeamish nature and started to wrap it up the best he could.

“Sorry I don’t have any healing - ”

“It’s okay.” He looked _awful_. “My fault.”

“Hey, kemosabe, chin up.”

Taako wiped some blood off Barry’s face and smiled at him.

“I need you looking nice for my sister, okay?”

Barry stared up at him.

“You – you’re okay with - ?”

“Dude, you just did a weird seance ritual where you sacrificed some life energy or what have you and you’re still wondering if I’m okay with you being with my sister?”

Even through his grim pallor, Barry let out a small laugh.

“Yeah. Apparently I am.”

Taako rolled his eyes and threw an arm around Barry’s chest.

“Come on. Just don’t go doing that again, okay?”

Barry smirked.

“Long as you don’t go pissing off magic puzzles.”

Taako chuckled, and they walked down the newly opened hall.

*****

Taako heard Lup before he saw her. Her voice echoed down the long hallway they were traversing, and Taako’s ears perked up.

“That’s her!” he cried, breaking into a run.

Barry followed close behind as best he could, and now Taako could hear another voice, this one deeper and smoother, not as gravelly as Barry’s, and it felt _familiar_. Like the call of a hearth on a cold night, the sweet smell of freshly baked macarons.

But, try as he might, he couldn’t quite place it.

He rounded a corner and there she was, panting slightly as she skidded to a stop.

“Koko!” she screamed, tearing forward and throwing her arms out. Taako caught her deftly and swung her around, and they laughed as they hugged each other tight.

Taako didn’t want to let go, but Lup managed to push him away enough so she could meet his eyes.

“Taako, I have absolutely _no_ idea how we got here - ”

“Me neither.”

“ – but holy shit, I knew I was gonna find you!”

“Technically, I found you.”

She punched him playfully.

“Don’t go falling into caves again, okay?”

Taako beamed at her.

“Sure, Lulu.”

A second of bliss passed, before both of them spotted the other’s traveling companions at the same time.

“Who is this?” they asked each other at the same time.

The man next to Lup was drop dead gorgeous, with fancy clothes and a regal look to him that screamed high society. He was standing quietly a few feet away, but Taako could tell he was seconds away from bursting with emotion. There was a heartbroken look on his face, and he was wringing his hands mercilessly.

Behind Taako, Barry looked almost exactly the same.

“Lup,” Taako said slowly. “This is Barry.”

He stepped back and put an arm around Barry’s shoulders.

“He’s a piano-playing necromancer who wears bluejeans.”

Lup giggled.

“Something wonky happened with this whole place, Lup, and I think it fucked around with our heads. But he...”

He squeezed Barry’s shoulder and brought him forward.

“I think you’re really going to like him, Lup. One hundred and ten percent twin brother approved.”

Barry turned a delightful shade of pink.

“Thanks, Taako,” he whispered.

Lup let out a laugh and stepped back, grabbing the other man’s hand.

“This is Kravitz. He’s a spooky servant of the Raven Queen.”

She pulled him forward.

“One hundred and _twenty_ percent twin sister approved,” Lup smirked.

Both of the men turned to their respective twin.

“Hi,” Barry said, blushing, and held out his hand awkwardly. Lup smiled and took it.

At the same moment, Kravitz reached down and took Taako’s hand, bringing it to his lips.

“Enchanted,” he murmured.

The touch lingered, if for a second. The warmth of it spread, despite Kravitz’s cool hands, and some sort of something traveled up and through Taako’s body, like he had just taken a sip of cinnamon whiskey.

Then, like the runaway Rockport Limited, everything came barreling back at once.

Taako and Lup both stumbled back, clutching their heads, Kravitz and Barry rushing forward. Taako’s brain was static, it was icy fire, and he fell to his knees as the world caved in around him.

But just as suddenly, things cleared, and Taako found himself blinking up at Kravitz, who was looking down at him with concern.

“Oh, hey babe,” Taako groaned. “Got anything for a shitty headache?”

Kravitz looked odd. Gods, he was almost crying.

“The fuck happened? Did someone hurt you, goddamnit, I’ll - ”

He sat up too quickly and found himself facing Lup, who was also on the floor. Barry was there, cradling Lup in his arms as she rubbed at her face wearily.

“Barry? Gods, did I drink too much last night? Cuz I have the _worst_ headache I’ve ever - ”

Barry was actually crying now, and he kissed Lup’s face so much she pushed him away.

“Babe, you can smooch me later, where – Taako? Oh shit, Kravitz!”

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and she locked eyes with Taako. The cave, the puzzles, the weird questions, the alien yet familiar feeling – it was all clearing, fresh in their minds.

“What the _fuck_ happened?”

Kravitz stood, helping Taako up and keeping him close. He was acting clingy. Of course he was, Taako had been apart from him for so long, and –

“Did I seriously _forget_ you, Krav?”

He turned to Barry.

“Did I forget _you_?!”

A sick feeling pooled in his stomach, but Kravitz held him tightly, and Barry placed a reassuring hand on his leg.

“It’s okay, Taako,” he said, and though he tried to hide it, Taako heard him audibly sniff back tears. “You helped me find Lup again.”

“And Lup helped me find you, Taako,” Kravitz replied.

“And this was a hard task because?” Taako asked, trying to be flippant for all of two seconds, before Lup broke the tension and dragged Barry and Kravitz into a group hug. Taako collapsed against them all – his family, together again.

“It was really nice to get a one hundred and ten percent twin approval,” Barry managed. “Again.”

“Ah, but I received one hundred and _twenty_ ,” Kravitz argued, and everyone laughed.

Next to them in the rocky wall, a door had quietly formed and opened, leading to a bright daylight outside. Taako and Lup held each other’s hands, and their lovers held the other, as they walked, together, out into the world.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm all-made-of-stardust on Tumblr!


End file.
